Brose leaves Belgrade with third straight win

Brose Bamberg outlasted Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 69-75 on Thursday at Kombank Arena, home of the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, for the German champs’ third straight victory. Brose used a 0-12 first-quarter run to take a 9-22 lead, which grew to 15 in the second quarter. Zvezda spent the rest of the game fighting back and managed to get within 2 in the fourth quarter, but Brose held on late thanks to Augustine Rubit free throws and a Nikos Zisis jumper that sealed the win. Rubit led Brose with 15 points, Ricky Hickman added 12 points and 4 steals and Leon Radosevic posted 11 points and 7 rebounds as Brose improved to 3-2. Taylor Rochestie scored 22 points, Mathias Lessort had 14 points and 9 rebounds and Milko Bjelica posted 11 points and 7 rebounds. The loss dropped Zvezda to 2-3.

Rubit had three baskets, including a big slam, as the visitors took a 7-10 lead. Rochestie came off the bench to bring the hosts within 1, but Dorell Wright scored twice in a 0-12 Brose run to take a double-digit lead, 9-22. Nikola Radicevic and Lessort helped Zvezda fight back, but Hickman free throws and a Maodo Lo layup gave Brose an 18-30 advantage after 10 minutes. The difference was 15 after Lo opened the second quarter with a three. But Branko Lazic and Bjelica answered with back-to-back triples. Rubit tried to quell the Zvezda momentum with a three-point play, but Bjelica and Lessort closed the gap to 30-36. The pace slowed significantly and Wright was able to keep Brose in control, 34-43, at the break.

Zvezda scored the first two baskets of the second half to get within 5, however Brose authored the next 6 point to lead 38-49 after a Luka Mitrovic basket midway through the third quarter. Rochestie heated up to close the gap, which stood at 50-54 after
Nemanja Dangubic’s long three-pointer. Lo came to the Brose rescue with a three-pointer and the sides parted ways at 53-59 after three quarters. As the pressure rose, the baskets ceased to fall. James Feldeine’s three-pointer made it 58-63. Rochestie and Hickman entered into a scoring duel, which Rochestie won to get the hosts got within 67-69. Rubit twice split free throws to keep Brose in control and Zisis’s late jumper all but sealed the outcome.

Head Coaches

ALIMPIJEVIC, DUSAN

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

"We entered the game very unconcentrated. Probably the atmosphere influenced that, too, as the players are used to a hotter setting in Kombank Arena. I feel as though this was an easier game, and as we are the favorites in EuroLeague at home. And I don’t think that’s the case. We did not only miss Pero Antic, but Taylor Rochestie is not practicing, and he still decided to play. It is hard to play an aggressive one-on-one defense, because before we turned around, in two or three minutes, we were in bonus. We had a very bad first quarter, allowing 30 points, then allowed 45 points in the remaining 30 minutes."

TRINCHIERI, ANDREA

Brose Bamberg

"This is a big win on the road for us on a tough court. We played like a team. We were smart enough to resist. We were not perfect, but grinding, step by step, we are getting there. "

Players

RADOSEVIC, LEON

Brose Bamberg

"It was very important for us to open a good game, to get confidence and not feel the pressure of this gym, where they put a lot pressure on the opponent. At the end we succeeded. We stuck to our plan. We played as aggressive as possible to not give Rocheste and Feldeine open looks. To try to stop them. That was our main game plan. At the end we did it. Rochestie scored his points at the end, but not assists. He did not play his game. For us this was important. "